1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to portable trash compactors and particularly to portable trash compactors for backpacking use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Backpacking in remote areas of the country has long been a popular outdoor activity. When backpacking, people carry everything they need for backcountry living with them. This includes shelter, food and water. In many cases, backpacking is a pleasant experience. However, like home living, there are some inconveniences. In the backcountry, there are usually no trash receptacles. The standard rule is “if you pack it in, you must pack it out.” Although backpackers do travel light, they can produce a bulky amount of trash. This is often inconvenient to carry as the amount of trash increases as the hike continues. Plastic trash bags serve as a useful way to hold trash, but they can be damaged. This can cause undesirable problems, such as trash being dumped on a trail or liquids to leaking out into a backpack.
Two devices that deal with trash storage in outdoor locations are found in U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,109 to Hokoana Jr. discloses a frame that can be suspended. The frame holds a plastic trash bag, which can be suspended by a hook on the frame. A cover can also be used to cover the trash within the bag. Although this device is designed for home and garden use, it can be used by backpackers to hold trash. The problem is that the backpacker is then left with a large plastic bag full of trash to carry out, with all of the problems mentioned above.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,643 to Cordova teaches a camping clean up station that includes a water jug, cups a towel and a small disposable trash container. The problem is here that the trash container is again, a small plastic bag that simply holds trash.
It has long been recognized that compacting trash is an efficient way to store and hold large amounts of trash. Compactors compress trash down to a small volume compared to uncompacted trash. This small volume is then easier to carry and store until it can be disposed of. Electric trash compactors have been used in homes for years. Unfortunately, they cannot be used in the wilds.
Manual trash compactors have been developed, but these are generally for large trashcans and are not practical for backpacking applications. Some examples of these devices are found in the following U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. No. 3,438,322 to Marasco teaches a compactor that has a large frame. A trash receptacle is placed within the frame. A large lid that fits within the receptacle is suspended from a pivoting arm. After trash is placed in the container, the lid is dropped down into the container and the arm is depressed. This causes the lid to compress the trash that is in the container. Once compressed, the lid can be withdrawn for additional trash loads until the container is full.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,866 teaches a stacked trash container system. In this design, an outer container holds the trash. The outer container has pleated sides that can be compressed. An inner container, or alternatively, a plunger, is placed within the outer container on top of the trash. The inner container is then pushed down, compressing the pleats until the trash in the outer container is fully compressed. This step can be repeated until the container is full.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,932 to Basuino is similar to the Marasco patent in that it uses a lid attached to a lever to compress trash in a container. Unlike Marasco, the lid and arm assembly is mounted to a wall and the large frame is eliminated. The device can be folded to sit against the wall and then pulled out when needed. As before, the lid is placed into the container and the arm is used to press down on the trash.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,047 teaches a portable container that has a pivoting lid. An arm is attached to the lid so that when the lid is placed in the container, the arm can be used to compress the trash within the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,126 teaches an interesting form of compactor. This unit is intended to be bolted to a table or bench, so it is not suitable for portable use. It has an upper chamber and a lower chamber that are separated by a grate. The upper chamber is sealed and has an access door for loading trash. The device has a double plunger system. It has a first plunger that is a screw type plunger. This is operated by a wheel that is turned. This plunger is a hollow tube. Within this tube is a second plunger. This plunger is an impact type that is operated by raising and lower the plunger, thus pounding the refuse down. The impact plunger is designed to be used initially. Once the refuse has been pounded, the wheel can be turned to further compress the refuse down. Once compressed, the grate at the bottom of the container is removed and the trash is allowed to fall into the lower container. This container is removable for disposal of the compacted trash.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,567 discloses a trash compactor that uses a small container to hold trash. A hinged lid is used to close the box. The lid is attached to a vertical slide. The slide is pushed down to compress the trash within the container. Once the trash is compressed, it can be removed from the container and be disposed of in a standard container. While useful, none of these devices is suitable for backpacking applications in remote areas.